Fire-escape.



No. 65!,528. Patented June l2, i900.

' C. R. HARRIS.

FIRE ESCAPE. 1mm med Aug. 22, 1899 NITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

CHARLES R. I-IARRIs, 0F WILLiAlvisPoR'r, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR To THE HARRIS SAFETY COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. v.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 1\l'0. 651,528, dated June 12, 1900.

' Application filed August 2 2, 1 8 9 9.

T0 rtZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OHARLEs R. HAR Is, a resident of Williamsport, in the county of Lycoming and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in fire-escapes, and more particularly to means for mounting a flexible ladder within a building, one object of the invention being to so construct a fire-escape that it will when not in use take up no room within a building whatever and be an ornament to a room and one which can be instantly and readily operated in case of fire.

A further object is to so construct a fire-escape that the door inclosing the flexible ladder will when open serve as a step projecting into the room to assist a person or persons through the window in case of fire.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is, a perspective view illustrating my improvements. Fig. 2 is a view showing the pocket closed. Fig. 8 is a detail view of the locking mechanism, and Fig. 4 is a view in transverse section. V

A represents an ordinary window-frame, beneath which the wall is recessed or cut out to form a pocket in which a rectangular box 1 is disposed. The box 1 is open at its front and is provided with a door 2, hinged at its lower edge to the box, as shown. A link 3 is pivotally connected at one end to a lug at on the door and is made with an elongated slot 5, in which a headed pin on the side of the box is mounted, and said slot is made of just sufficient length to permit the door to fall to a horizontal position, when the pin in the box will act as a stop and hold the door in such position, or I might employ a chain or other device (not shown) to limit the movement of said door. The box and door are preferably Serial No. 728,115. (No model.)

composed of metal, and the door may be provided on its outer face with a block of wood ornamented to conform to the ornamentation of the room.

A reel of flexible ladder6 is disposedin the box 1, and the cables of the ladder are secured to the top or back thereof, and said box is provided with an inclined bottom 7, on which the reel is disposed when the door is closed, so that when the door is opened the reel will roll down the inclined bottom out onto the door and be ready to be thrown from the window, and it will be seen that when the door is open it will serve as a step to assist people escaping from the building.

The door 2 is provided on its inner face near its upper edge with a lug 8, to which is pivoted an L-shaped catch 9, provided on one end with a beveled or inclined tooth 10 to engage a bracket 11, secured to the inside of the box. The other end of said L-shaped catch is pivotally connected with a pin 12, mounted in a casing 13, secured in the door, and said pin is made on its outer end with an enlarged head or button 14, between which and one end of the casing a coiled spring 15 is disposed to normally hold the pin and button in their outward position to hold the catch in engagement with the bracket 11. A flat spring 16 is secured to the inner face of the door, and its free end is disposed between said door and box when the door is closed, so that when the catch is released by pushing the button inward the spring 16 will open the door. However, this spring is not usually necessary, as the weight of the reel itself will under ordinary circumstances be sufficient to open the door, and it will be seen that the catch will when the dooris open serve to prevent the reel from rolling off the open door.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a fire-escape, the combination witha box adapted to be set into the wall inside of a building, of a door hinged at its lower edge to said box and adapted to normally lie flush with the wall of the room, a spring-latch for the door, means for holding the door in a horizontalposition when open to form a step, a reel normally disposed in the box, means for causing the reel to roll on to the door when the latter is opened and a flexible ladder normally wound on said reel, one end of said ladder secured to the reel and the other end secured to the box.

2. In a fire-escape, the combination of box adapted to be inserted into a recess Within the wall in a room of a building, a reel normally disposed within said box, a flexible ladder normally wound on said reel and secured at one end to the box, a cover hinged at the lower edge of said box and adapted to constitute a panel in the wall of a room, arms connecting the cover with the box to maintain the cover in a horizontal position when open and form a step, a latch for the cover and means projecting through the cover for operating the latch to release the door.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHAS. R. HARRIS.

Witnesses:

B; B. HARTMAN, E. G. WILHELM. 

